Hell On Angels Wings
by cwc72906
Summary: This story takes place after season four of the Walking Dead. I really wanted to write this. I just love the chemistry between Daryl and Beth. Despite the recent events... I still wanted to write this story and give Beth and Daryl the chance they deserve. I have always loved to write and this will be my first story.
1. Survival

Disclaimer: I do not own TWD or any of its contents or characters. I wish I did, but that is simply not the case.

**CHAPTER 1**

We ran fast and hard for what seemed like miles and miles. The woods were endless and the walkers just kept coming. Each turn would only lead to more of them. Dozens surrounded us with no end in sight. I kept my eyes on Beth as she ran ahead. Watching her every move as she weaved in and out of the shrubs. She stumbled once and I caught her before she hit the ground.

"Come on Beth... We gotta 'keep going..." I said to her, steadying her back on her feet.

She leaned back into me for a moment. Gasping for air and swaying on her feet. We had been running for a long tim and her exhaustion was evident. I secured my arm around her. My eyes darting in every direction. Fully aware of the walkers not too far behind us. I could hear them coming as I slung my crossbow back over my shoulder. I didn't care if I had to carry her the rest of the way. I was not leaving her behind. Not for anything.

I leaned my head down. My lips close to her ear as I spoke to her. "I know you're exhausted but I need you to keep going ... Okay... For yourself... For your father... and for me..."

She turned around, blue eyes searching mine. She nodded to me and pushed herself forward to my relief. I was right behind her as we rounded the last bend. Gaining a good distance from the walkers now. As soon as as we were in the clearing, she collapsed on the ground and I went with her. Total exhaustion gripping me now, as we both stared up into the blue sky. The birds flying and the sun blazing. I noticed that the sun would soon be setting and I knew what that meant. I lept to my feet and looked around, preparing my crossbow just in case.

"It's gonna be dark soon..." Beth's small voice came from behind me. I nodded to her and extended a hand to help her to her feet. Her clear blue eyes searched mine before taking my hand securely in her own. It was an act of trust... a small one but it still was there... it still mattered.

We continued to run until we came across a large house that was tucked a good mile into the woods. A long dirt road led up to it and it was the first stable structure we had seen in hours. The sun dipped lower into the sky as we approached the front door. I held my hand up, signaling for Beth to wait. She tucked herself behind me as I kicked the front door in, crossbow drawn and ready.

I checked the dining room and the hall ... the upstairs...

The place was immaculate. It looked like everything was just frozen in place in its perfection when the shit storm hit. I ran back down over the stairs to see Beth there at the bottom waiting. A distant look in her eyes.

"It's clear. Looks like no ones been here in a while..."

She didn't move or respond to me. "Beth..." I said, approaching her slowly. She simply nodded, glancing up at me.

"So we stay here..." She asked, though it came out as more of a statement.

"Yea... for now..." I replied, setting my crossbow down and leaning it against the wall.

"I'm gonna secure the doors. Only have a few minutes of light left..."

"Ok..." she replied before turning on her heel and entering the kitchen. "I'll see what they have for food." She said over her shoulder in my direction.

I headed out the front and into the garage. There was a ton of lumber set in piles in front of me. I glanced around, seeing that it was laid here looking to be used for something they were building at one time, before the world fell apart.

I gathered a large load and took the hammer from the workbench. Dusk was fast approaching and I hurried to secure the windows and doors on the first level. I finished the last one just as the sun dipped behind the nights sky, leaving a blanket of darkness in its wake. When the last nail was in, I headed back inside and closed the door firmly behind me as the eery silence crept over us... It was just her and I now.

I shook my head as I thought back to what had happened at the prison earlier. The way the governor had just rolled right up to our gates and taken everything that mattered with him. Including Beths father.

A noise from behind me tore me from my thoughts. I turned to see Beth with canned food in her hands.

"There a whole pantry full of it and theres still gas on the stove... hot water too..."

"Good..." I replied, glancing down to the floor. I couldn't remember the last time I had a hot shower. The idea sounded pretty damn good to me.

"I can make you something... if you want..." She offered.

"You"re not hungry?" I asked,

"No..." she shook her head..." Just... tired..."

I looked at her long and hard, seeing the light in her eyes that was there mere hours before, had now vanished.

"You should eat..." I said in a low tone to her.

"I'll be fine..." She insisted.

She may have said that with her mouth but those eyes of hers told me different. I sighed as she retreated into the kitchen and searched for pots and pans. After a while she had dinner cooking on the stove. Something that was foreign to me most of my childhood. The way I grew up... You eat when you can and where you can. Beth and I were worlds apart in that way. She had grown up well and with people who loved her. I didn't know what that felt like until I had joined Rick and his group. But they were gone now...

Everything we had come to know was just gone. My thoughts wandered to lil' asskicker... baby judith. I hoped beyond hope that she was somehow alive and okay.

I walked in slowly after her and stopped in the doorway when I heard Beth begin to sing. It was so soft and so low that you could barely hear it.

I leaaned against the entryway of the small kitchen and listened to her as she continued to stir what smelt like some form of canned chilli. It was the same song she had sung for her father back at the prison.

She carried on for a few more minutes before abruptly stopping mid chorus. I lifted my head and heard a sob escape her as I pushed off the wall and took three steps toward her. I was at war with myself as another sob came from her. I wanted to be there for her. Would she think that was out if line? Or that I was being intrusive on her private moment of grief? I didn't get time to decide because she suddenly spun around, nearly colliding with me. A wide eyed look of shock on her tear stained face. She quickly apologized...

"I'm sorry... I... I didn't... " She struggled for words and seemed to come up empty. Her eyes down cast.

I moved toward her, closing the small distance that was left between us. I didn't have time to think of what I wanted to say to her, so I said the one thing I wanted her to know. "I'm sorry Beth..."

Her head lifted once the words left me. Eyes full of unshed tears and sorrow. It tore me up to see her hurt like that.

She moved herself into me, wrapping her arms around me and laying her head on my chest. I returned the embrace and felt her small frame shake with emotion in my arms. It was times like this that I really hated the screwed up world we were in. Beth had been through enough... her whole family had. They were good people, the kind that restored your faith in humanity itself.

After a few minutes she pulled back and I reluctantly released her. She hurridly wiped her tears with the sleeve of her grey sweater and turned her attention back to the stove.

"I hope your hungry?" She asked pouring it into two bowls she had washed earlier. I nodded.

"Thanks..." I replied, sitting down at the table. She joined me and barely touched the chilli. She would stir it and than give up after a while.

"You gotta eat..." I told her in a low tone.

"I don't feel well... I think I'm gonna go lay down for a bit"

"You sick?" I asked, as she got up from the table and scooted her bowl over to me.

She shrugged... "I just... need some rest... I'm sure I'll be ok."

I nodded and watched her as she went to lay down. Worry for her settling into me. She had been through a lot... too much. Way more than any one person should ever have to endure in a lifetime. Seeing your mother as a zombie and watching your father get executed right in front of you, was enough to push just about anyone over the edge.

I finished what was left in my bowl and set Beth's on the stove for her. I heard the water running in the upstairs bathroom and remembered that there was hot water in this house still. Even though it would be short lived, it would be nice to take a hot shower for a change.

I explored the house a bit further, noticing the people who owned this house previously were well off. Everything was in its place and well maintained considering the circumstance. In the down stairs bathroom was a full stock of hand soap and bar soap and even a razor and shaving cream to my amazment. I couldn't even remember the last time I shaved. I turned the shower on as hot as it would run and stripped off my clothes.

The hot water felt incredible and even though I knew to hurry, I savored the little time I had in there. I secured a towel around my waist and glanced under the sink. Things like these in todays world were considered a luxury.

A soft knock came on the door. I cracked it open to see Beth standing there with a pile of clothes in her hands. She handed them through the crack of the door to me with a shrug.

"Here... I did some looking around and found these in one of the closets. I dont know if they're the right size... just jeans and a black T-shirt..."

"I thought you were laying down?" I asked, glancing down at the clothes in my hands and thanking her. She simply shrugged and went to leave before stopping and turning back around suddenly.

"Oh... um... If you want... I can wash your other clothes for you?"

"You dont have to do that..."

She shook her head and insisted anyway. "No I really dont mind ... I mean... we might as well take advantage of the resources while we have them, right?"

She did make a hell of a good point. " Ya... right..." I agreed and handed her the dirty clothes on the floor. Still feeling a bit guilty that she would be doing my laundry...

She took them and went on her way without another word. I shut the door and quickly shaved and dressed. The clothes fit alright. They were actually comfortable and a lot like something I used to wear all the time.

Beth was sitting in the living room on the sofa just staring at her hands, an empty expression on her face. I glanced over at the fireplace, still stalked with wood and pulled the Zippo lighter I had in my back pocket out. Kneeling down in front of the dusty fireplace, I lit an old piece of newspaper in there and it caught easily. The whole fireplace blazed with a hungry fire as I stepped back and glanced over to Beth. She watched the flames but remained silent.

I sat down on the floor and watched the flames slowly rise and lick up the brick walls. My mind replaying the prison and how bad I hated what had happened. I thought of Rick and Judith... and Carl... That boy had to grow up a hell of a lot sooner than he should have needed to. All the suffering for him... losing his mother like that. I could only hope that they were all okay somewhere... somehow... But then again... what good did hope do in this shit world?

"Daryl..." Beths whisper came from beside me.

"Yeah..."

"Thank you..." She whispered and slowly laid down on the couch.

"For what? " I replied.

"For not leaving me there... looking after me..." She replied and closed her eyes.

I turned my gaze to her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes as the fire's glow lit up her face.

"I would never leave you..." I replied and watched her closely as she drifted off to sleep.

The hours passed as I kept watch. Looking around in the house and throwing a new log on the fire every few minutes. I was aware of every creek and snap that the wooden floors would make in the night. My crossbow never more than a few feet away from me. Always expecting the unexpected... that's the way it had to be now.

I walked the house, back and forth in the kitchen, glancing out the windows every once in a while. I checked the windows I had secured earlier to be sure they were still covered just in case. I wasn't taking any damn chances. I started searching more cupboards in the kitchen and found a large stash of alcohal. Everything from vodka to wine and rum. They were all un- opened and covered with a fine layer of dust. I pulled the vodka out and thought back to when I used to drink all the time with Merle... the memory of my brother turning into a walker still haunted me in more than one way. Killing him was the hardest thing I had ever done... well the second now... losing the prison and everyone in it was hard as hell, too.

I stared at the bottle and shook it once, debating on just popping the top and taking a swig. It had been a while since I indulged like that. I also knew the consequences to such indulgence right now and it came with a high price I was not willing to pay.

I put the bottle back and shut the cupboard just as a blood curdling scream came from Beth. I grabbed my crossbow and ran through the house back into the living room. I drew my bow up when I approached the living room. Expecting to find a walker attacking her. I feared the worst but when I entered the living room, there was no walker... No nothing. Just Beth screaming at the top of her lungs in her sleep. I scanned the room once more before dropping my bow in the nearby chair and going to her.

"Beth... Beth ... wake up..." I said, crouching down beside the couch and placing my hand on her arm. Her eyes flashed open. Her cheeks wet with tears. She bolted upright and looked all around... She looked so damn lost... confused...

She suddeny shook her head and stood up, swaying a bit, still unsteady with sleep. "NO... NO... where is he...wh... where..." She sobbed and ran out of the room. I got to my feet and followed her.

"Beth... Beth..." I hollared for her as she reached the door. Her shaking hands unlocking the dead bolts. I pulled her back from the door though she fought me.

"No!" she screamed. "Let me go... he's out there... My dads still out there and he needs my help! He's waiting for me!"

I pulled her back again and spun her around in my arms. "Beth... listen to me... he's gone... He's gone..."

She stopped struggling and froze at my harsh words. Her eyes locking with min. Horror in them. Like I was telling her this news for the very first time. She shook her head franticaly and tried to push me back to free herself.

"No... No your wrong ... you dont know what the hell your talking about... he's just in trouble and I can help him... "

I knew just looking in her eyes once that she believed this to be true which scared me all the more for her.

"Beth... he is gone. Im sorry but he's not out there waiting for you to help him..."

She stopped trying to unlock the door and slowly turned back around to face me. I backed up, giving her some space to come to reality again. She starred blanky toward the floor and then nodded...

"Beth..."

She lifted her head. Tears streaming down her face, one right after the other. "He's not coming back..." She whispered. Her eyes not leaving mine, desperately searching my own for the truth. I shook my head to her. She leaned her back against the door and slid down to the floor. Sobs ripping through her.

"Why... Why..." She sobbed over and over again.

I felt numb inside as I watched her. I had never been great with emotions, but seeing her hurt like that stirred something in me for the first time in years. In my world, before all the shit happened, things were always rough and hard to take. Showing emotion made you weak. And my family, especially my brother, just didnt do weak. It was always..."Get the fuck over it..." in my screwed up household. That's how I was raised and how I got by for years and years. It was survival.

But standing here and watching Beth fall apart like this, made me realize that it couldn't be like that anymore. It just couldn't and probably never should have been in the first place. I walked over to where she was. Taking a step at a time before joining her on the floor. My back now pressed against the large front door just as hers was. I slowly put my arm around her and moved her close to me. She stiffened at first, looking at me with red eyes.

"Come here Beth..."

She moved herself the rest of the way over to me and laid her head on my shoulder.

Silence fell between us again and the only noise was her shuddering breaths from her endless tears. After a long while. I noticed she had fallen back to sleep. I let out a sigh of relief and whispered to her. "You're gonna be okay Beth... I promise... Somehow..."

It was a promise I knew I shouldn't have made the moment it left my mouth. How in the hell would I keep it? I wasn't sure, but I had to try anyway.


	2. Together

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of The Walking Dead.

**CHAPTER 2**

BETHS POV

It all felt like a horrible dream... A nightmare... Only it was real... this was life now...

My father was really gone forever. I had really lost him. I missed his laughter and his smile. I missed the way he used to call me "Bethy"... I missed everything about him. His absence was everywhere I looked.

The prison was really gone. We had lost them all... we had lost everything...

I hoped beyond all hope that everyone was still alive by some miracle. I prayed to whoever was listening to me still that Rick and Carl and baby Judith were all still alive. That they were together and moving forward somehow. I chose to ignore the small voice in my head that told me otherwise. That still, small voice that would whisper in my ear every once in a while..."They're all dead"...

I told it to shut the hell up and chose ignorance. It was my only way of dealing for now. I was stronger than I used to be but still not strong enough it seemed.

I knew of one who seemed strong like stone. One who stared death in the face without so much as flinching. I knew of only one who could keep moving even when everything around them was falling to shit... Daryl Dixon...

He seemed impenetrable. Solid as a rock with the skills to match.

I owed him for what he had done for me. I owed him my life. If it weren't for him... I wouldn't be alive right now.

The front door suddenly slammed shut, effectively ripping me away from my thoughts and bringing me back to the present. I stopped stirring the boiling broth on the stove and turned to see Daryl, as he set his crossbow down on the kitchen table along with the skinned rabbit he had caught earlier.

"Gettin' Dark..." He said, glancing up at me. I nodded to him in reply. He didn't need to explain any further. We both knew what that meant.

Daryl locked the many dead bolts on the front door and went around to check all the boarded windows, before returning to me in the kitchen. He had spent the majority of the day hunting. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have that much to eat.

While the house had been left with a fair amount of canned goods still in place, it certainly wouldn't last long.

"Thank you..." I said softly to him, before setting to work on the rabbit stew I was preparing. I worked with what we had and made the best of it. After all, it was getting pretty cold outside in the evenings now and while this wouldn't be an award winning meal, it would do. It had to.

Daryl just shrugged and started cleaning his crossbow. He had never really been one to talk much. Not since I'd known him anyway. He always mostly kept to himself. A real hard ass.

He didn't fool me though. I could see right through that tough exterior he always used. Not to say that Daryl wasn't strong, because he was.

When I looked at him I saw the big beating heart that he never really showed or let anyone get too close to. Those deep blue eyes of his revealed a much different person to me than the hard ass he always seemed to be.

I saw one that would lend a helping hand whenever needed. I saw the man who went on a formula run with Glenn for baby Judith. I saw the man who scooped her up in his strong arms and fed her at the prison like he had done so a million times before. Like it was second nature for him.

I remember being awe struck from a distance back then. Just watching him hold Judith like she was his own. The look on his face and his delicate way with her. A look that said he would lay his life down for her already and he barely knew her.

He was a true man of courage, character and loyalty. A dying breed as they used to say. I was fortunate to be in his company. Despite the hell we lived in every day. The fact that we had each other now was a constant comfort for me. Call me crazy... call me naïve even... but I knew that I was with someone who could more than hold his own. Someone who knew what he was doing.

"Smells Good..." Daryl said as he set his crossbow back down by the front door.

I lifted my head. "Well... Its not great... but at least its warm..." I offered with a small shrug.

"I bet its better than you think." He sighed and sat down at the table.

I chucked in reply. "I appreciate your optimism."

"You make it easy... to be... optimistic." He replied in a low tone.

I turned around and looked at him again. "Really?"

He nodded and locked eyes with mine. Sincerity clear in them.

It made me feel good to know that I at least did something for him. I had worked hard to become a stronger person at the prison. One who knew her own strength and skill. I didn't want Daryl to feel like he was pulling dead weight around, like I couldn't do my share.

I slowly turned back around and stirred the stew again. I wasn't prepared for his next question...

"Hey Beth... ya wanna stick around here ... for a while?" He asked, his eyes meeting mine when I turned to face him.

"You mean... more than a few more days..." I replied, my heart pounding rapidly as I awaited his reply.

He nodded and shuffled his feet. "Yea... More than a few days... We could make it work here... you and I..."

I looked at him long and hard. Unable to reply immediately. The thought of never seeing my sister again... or baby Judith. My eyes grew misty. Stinging with the threat of new tears. I spoke through the lump in my throat... "We could make it work... "

Daryl stood. Taking a few steps toward me. "Wouldn't mean we'd stop looking for the group... for Maggie... "

I drew in a shaky breath and quickly went back to stirring the stew. A few tears spilling down my cheeks. I knew it made me weak and I hated that.

I reached up and quickly wiped them away.

Who I was trying to keep it together for ... Me or Daryl... I wasn't sure at this point but I continued to try anyway.

"I know..." I replied as I placed two bowls full of stew... the only bowls we had... on the table.

Daryl glanced down at them and then back up to me.

"I mean it... We'll still look for them... all of them... "

I couldn't speak so I simply gestured for him to sit back down as I silently sat down myself and began to stir my soup. The appetite I had just had, suddenly vanished when my thoughts returned to the possibility of never seeing Maggie again.

I slowly slid the bowl away from me and set the spoon down. Daryl stopped eating and glanced up at me. "You gotta eat Beth.. "

A silence fell around us. The sound of the wind whipping against the house the only sound between us now. I stared down at my hands. My eyes wandering to that familiar pink lined scar across my wrist. Shame hitting me as I remembered how it got there.

I had never been one to hurt myself. Never been one to inflict self harm... that was before...

I wasn't proud of what I had done then. Nor had I been looking for attention. I just wanted to escape... everything. I didn't want to be here anymore. Didn't want to face this life... or what was left of it without my mother or my brother. I had been terrified of the future. Terrified of becoming one of them... a walker...

"Beth..."

I lifted my head to look at Daryl, seeing him finish his stew and push my bowl back to me. "Please eat... "

His tone was softer than it had been before with me. Something I took note of. It wasn't one of demand but one of concern. I picked up my spoon and ate to the best of my ability. Daryl sat with me till I could stomach no more. We didn't speak. There was no need for conversation. Just being with him was nice.

"I'll go start the fire." Daryl offered, getting up from the table. I watched him walk away, secretly wishing I could be a bit more like him. More solid... More sturdy... More sure of who the hell I was and what role I played in the world now... More like him... Impenetrable.


	3. Impenetrable

Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Walking Dead or its content.

**CHAPTER 3**

DARYL'S POV

The sun soon faded and the sky grew dark as night was upon us again. I checked the windows to make sure they were secure for what seemed like the hundredth time. We knew what was out there waiting for us if one of us got sloppy or slipped up.

There was no choice but to be thorough. No choice but to double check and check again before laying your head down at night.

So far we had been lucky. Not one walker had approached the house. They were still there. We could hear them in the pitch black of the night.

I set my crossbow down and glanced over to the table. Seeing Beth had not touched anymore of her dinner. She was struggling with all this more than she let on, and I feared that struggle would be the death of her if she didn't at least eat to keep up her strength.

I walked out of the kitchen and down the hall into the living room. The fire I started now blazing high.

Beth was curled up in the rocking chair with the blanket around her, staring off into the fireplace. A distant expression on her face. A look I had never seen her wear before. A look that said... "I don't give a shit anymore."

I knew that look all too well, because I had worn it myself enough times over the years. I knew what it felt like and it was a low place to be.

I stepped back and pondered on any way I could help her. My mind drawing a blank at first... Then it hit me.

I went back out into the kitchen and started going through the cupboards searching for one thing... Tea.

I remembered that Beth liked a hot cup of tea compared to coffee when it was offered to her at the prison. It took me a while but I finally found a canister full of tea bags and filled the tea kettle, setting it back on the burner and waiting for the water to heat.

I had another idea as I waited and headed for the stairs. Taking them two at a time as I went into the master bathroom and turned on the hot water, filling the tub for her.

I knew she needed a hell of a lot more than a cup of tea and a warm bath but at least it was something.

I fixed her tea and took it in to the bathroom, setting it on the side of the tub there for her. I even laid out a clean towel.

She was still watching the flames when I entered the living room again.

"Beth..."

She slowly tore her eyes from the fireplace as I extended my hand to her. She looked at me with a confused expression before taking my offered hand.

"Come with me." I asked her.

She nodded hesitantly and got up with me.

"Daryl.. what...?" She asked as we reached the top of the stairs.

I took her into the bathroom and gestured toward the bath tub.

"Here..." I offered. "I know you need a hell of a lot more than that... but it's something..."

She looked at the tub and than back to me. Unshed tears now welling up in those ocean blue eyes of hers.

"Thank you." She whispered to me. I simply nodded to her in reply and turned to go back downstairs and keep watch.

"Daryl wait..." I heard her say as I turned back around to face her.

She moved herself closer to me and suddenly hugged me. I didn't hesitate to return the embrace. Her small body easy to hold to mine.

"You're welcome..." I replied, feeling her release me, and offering me half an attempt at a smile before closing the bathroom door.

My mind was full of ways we could make staying here work for the two of us as I looked outside through an opening in the living room window I had boarded up. The sound of walkers growing louder as the night progressed.

I couldn't tell which direction they were coming from and I didn't like how close they sounded either.I knew better then to assume we would be safe here for long. No place was safe anymore. Not one.

I heard movement in the kitchen. The sound of dishes being taken out.

I tore my eyes away from the outdoors and went in there to find Beth at the table now eating her meal. Her eyes went straight to me when I entered.

"I'm... hungry now..." She shrugged with the faintest of grins forming on that beautiful mouth of hers. Her long blonde hair still wet from the tub.

She wore a red night gown now that I assumed she found in the master closet upstairs.

I tried not to stare but couldn't help it. Red was certainly her color.

I returned her half smile and sat down at the table with her so she wouldn't be eating alone.

"Are you still hungry? I can make you something else?" She offered before sitting down herself.

"No... I'm fine, Beth." I replied and watched her take a bite of the stew.

A comfortable silence fell around us while she ate and I found myself marveling at the fact that we could just sit together and be okay with that. Something I sure as hell wasn't used to with any other woman before.

She glanced up and caught me staring at her.

"What?" She asked with a small shrug.

"You're different..." I confessed in a low tone.

"In... a good way... or...?" She questioned. A self conscious look forming on her face now.

"In a good way..." I clarified.

She smiled again, this time in genuine fashion before taking another small bite of stew.

"You're different too, you know?" She asked, glancing back up at me.

"How so?" I replied.

"You're not like I'd thought you'd be..."

"No?" I questioned.

She slowly shook her head.

I took that as a compliment and was beyond grateful she was now eating something.

"I get it..." Beth said softly a few minutes later as she finished her dinner.

"Get what?" I replied.

"I need to stay strong... more like you..."

I shook my head. "You're fine just the way you are... Don't let this shit change who you are..." I sighed

She looked at me long and hard before saying anything else.

"What made you the way you are?"

I lifted my head to look her in the eyes. "A lot of stuff..."

"Like..." She asked. Genuine curiosity in her eyes.

"Nothing worth talking about..."

"It's worth it to me." She replied, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I care... I wanna know more about you... who you really are..."

"I don't know that much about you..." I lied.

"You know more than I thought you did... like you knew that I preferred tea to coffee... No one really paid attention to those things about me back at the prison."

She was wrong... I paid attention to those little things about her. I had for a while now.

I chose to stay silent. Feeling almost open and exposed to her, as she searched my eyes with her own.

She got up from the table and set her bowl in the sink before slowly walking over to me.

She leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. The simple action caught me off guard as she lingered there. Her face mere inches from mine now.

"Thank you Daryl... for what you did for me tonight. Means more than you know. Good night... I'll take second watch for you when you're ready. Just wake me up and we'll switch." She spoke softly to me. Her tone barely above a whisper.

I could only manage a nod as she backed away from me and turned on her heel to go lay down in the living room. I watched her, as she went, feeling something come over me for her that I hadn't felt for any woman like her... Longing.


	4. Choices

Disclaimer:_ I do not own any of The Walking Dead (TWD)... I wish I did, but that is simply not the case._

**_CHAPTER 4_**

_I had kept watch for most of the night, letting Beth get some sleep. The kind of sleep I knew she desperately needed. _

_I was constantly on edge. Never at ease. Never letting my guard down for anyone. It was exhausting to live like this day after day. Constantly unsure of what your next move should be._

_I was used to this kind of living long before the world fell apart. It was my normal as a child._

_Growing up, we never stayed in one place too long, always being shuffled here and there, to and from. Looking back now, I know that it was no way to live, and certainly not a way to raise your children. _

_My mind wandered to Judith, as I leaned my crossbow next to the fireplace, tossing in a log along the way and hoping for the hundredth time already, that Rick was safe with his two children. I sighed heavily, sitting down next to the far, my eyes falling on Beth. Watching here while she slept. Her face angelic in her sleep._

_I stared long and hard at her, unsure of what the next few weeks would hold for us and silently pondering what our next move should be. I knew one thing for damn certain... I was so fucking tired of losing people. We had lost enough already. I was done losing people, and the one I was with now, meant more to me than I knew how to handle._

_She intrigued me, challenged me, and unnerved me all at the same damn time. Her heart, was one of the biggest I had ever seen, and despite all she'd been through, she still believed in the small amount of good left in this world. Truth be told, she made me believe in that, too. _

_There was something about her that drove me crazy in the best way possible. She had a way of looking through you like glass. Reaching into who you were and bringing out the very damn best in you. She had a way of making you believe, making you hope even, that things would somehow turn around and all work out in the end. I had never known anyone like her, and certainly not anyone who could get to me the way she did. She had a natural way of making you feel better, something that was always foreign to me, unless chemically or substance induced._

_I shook my head, glancing at the fire and thinking of how we could possibly make this work and stay here long term, maybe even permanently. With my hunting skills, I felt confident that we would be okay on food for a while but the certainty of anything else was unknown. We'd have to take it one day at a time. We simply didn't have another choice. This is the hand we were dealt, we'd have to make it work. Beth suddenly stirred, tossing a few times before opening her eyes and meeting my gaze._

_"What time is it?" She asked, sleep still heavy in her tone._

_"Almost dawn."_

_Her blue eyes grew wide as she sat up. "Wh... why didn't you wake me?"_

_I simply shook my head. "You needed your rest."_

_"So do you..." She replied, gathering her long blonde hair into a high ponytail._

_"I'll be fine."_

_She got up from the couch, taking the blanket with her and approaching me._

_"You should go sleep now, I can handle watch." She offered._

_"I'll be fine, Beth. Go back to sleep." I replied._

_She shook her head in protest, placing her hand on her hip. "Daryl Dixon..." Her tone was sincere but stern. The concern being evident there._

_I remained where I was, seated by the fire, not responding to her in hopes she would take the hint and lay back down. No such luck._

_"You can't stay awake for days Daryl... It's not healthy and I need you healthy... we need to be healthy..."_

_I tore my eyes from the fire, meeting her penetrating stare for a few long seconds, and seeing she wasn't going to let this go as easy as I'd hoped she would. She was persistent to say the least. However, I was as stubborn as they came, so she had met her match there._

_"Fine..." She sighed with exasperation, suddenly sitting on the floor with me, moving my crossbow a few feet to the left of her. She huddled herself next to me, draping the blanket over the both us, the closeness of her not lost on me, as she did so. "You forget how very determined I can be at times..."_

_"If that's what you wanna call it..." I replied, feeling her lay her head on my shoulder. "You're gonna be uncomfortable like this."_

_"No... I'm very comfortable." _

_"On the damn floor?" I replied._

_She raised her head, her eyes locking with my own briefly. "Well... You're here... So I'm comfortable. Why? Do you want to take the couch now?"_

_I slowly shook my head to her, seeing her shrug._

_"Why not?" She asked._

_"Cause you're here..." I replied._

_She went silent, as she moved herself even closer to me. Her head coming to rest closer to my chest now._

_"You think their still alive?" She soon asked me in a hushed tone._

_"I hope so, Beth. I really do."_

_"Well... for what its worth, I'm happy we're in this together." _

_"Me too... Me too."_

_A comfortable silence settled around us, my eyes growing heavier by the second. It suddenly occurred to me that I'd never fallen asleep with a woman in my arms. Never once had I'd experienced the closeness of this seemingly simple act. _

_I was beyond exhausted, feeling the weight of the last few days pulling at me. I glanced down to see Beth had already fallen back to sleep. Try as I may to fight it, I could no longer keep my own eyes open. I surrendered to my exhaustion, unable to fight it anymore._

_I awoke to the sun peering in through the spaces between the boards on the windows. My eyes barely open to see that morning was upon us. _

_Beth stirred, nestling herself in closer to me. Her head still on my chest. I found myself selfishly wanting to stay this way with her, and ignore the harsh cruel world and all its bullshit that awaited us._

_Sometimes I wandered what the hell was the point in even trying to live now a days. As if an answer to my silent question, Beth lifted her head, meeting my gaze._

_"Morning."_

_"Good morning" I replied, seeing her get to her feet, an emptiness coming over me at her absence now._

_"We should look for the others today. Maybe see If you can't pick up on their trail."_

_I rose to my feet and reached for my crossbow. "We can't stray too far from the property. I don't want it to get run over by walkers while we're gone. it's the only shelter we got right now and its damn near freezing outside."_

_"Well if you won't come with me, then I'll just go myself. We agreed not to give up on them." She stated, and edge to her normally calm demeanor. She walked out around me and headed straight for the front door._

_"I'm not saying we give up, but I am saying we do it the smart way. You running off like this doesn't help anybody."_

_"I can take care of myself." She muttered, quickly undoing the many locks on the door. I instinctively went after her, reaching for her arm to stop her._

_"Oh yea, you get turned around out there or lost and you'll be as good as dead. This aint some game."_

_She pulled her arm out from my grasp, taking a step closer to me. "Well then you should teach me, Daryl."_

_I stared at her, seeing her determination. "Teach you what?"_

_"Everything you know..."_

_I couldn't help but scoff in response. "What makes you think that's enough to keep you alive?"_

_"Because I've watched you, even back at the prison. You're a lot smarter then you let on. People listen to you. I would listen to you. You could make me a better tracker, someone who stood a chance out there, instead of your weak little tag along."_

_"I never said you were weak. Just stubborn as all get out." I retorted._

_"So are you Daryl. You're a stubborn as they come."_

_I couldn't argue with that. She had a valid point there. I shook my head in frustration. Teach her everything I know... did she know what the hell she was asking. I had never even let anyone else touch my crossbow, let alone use the damn thing. It was a pride thing, but as the old saying goes... Pride cometh before a fall._

_"I want to learn and I know you could teach me." She continued._

_Beth was a tiny thing. Though small in stature, she had the heart of a fighter. Someone who could be put through a whole hell of a lot before crumbling. I couldn't help but think of Hershel, knowing he'd want me to teach her to defend herself. What other choice did I have?_

_"You know what you're asking for right? You gonna be able to shoot someone without thinking twice about it? Walker or not... like the governor?"_

_She nodded to me, her blue eyes on mine and growing wide at the mention of the man, who so coldly slaughtered her father at the prison._

_"I can do it..."_

_I finished unlocking the many bolts along the front door and opened it, nodding my head forward in a gesture for her to get moving._

_The clouds were thick and heavy, full of potential rain as we entered to dense forest. Walking a ways in till I stopped short, seriously debating on scraping this whole damn mission. But knowing full well that wasn't an option. I reluctantly handed her my crossbow. _

_"Here... we start small. Animals first... squirrel... rabbit. Things of that nature. The smaller you aim for, the better chances you have at hitting a much bigger target later."_

_She looked at me briefly with disbelief clear on her face. I shrugged as she took the crossbow from me. "You said teach you everything I know..."_

_"You've never let anyone touch your crossbow Daryl, in all the time I've known you."_

_I lifted my head, meeting her gaze now. "Yeah, well... You're not just anyone, Beth. Come on."_

_We walked a good mile or more into the woods before spotting a rabbit. I stopped abruptly, motioning for Beth, and seeing her eyes grow wide with the hint of a devilish grin on her face. I moved myself behind her, helping her lift the crossbow in place, so she had a steady aim on her unsuspecting target. _

_"Ready?" I whispered, in a low tone to her. She nodded quickly to me. Her eyes never leaving the rabbit._

_"Ready" She breathed in reply. Her whole body tense with nervous energy._

_I moved her back into me a bit. So her back was now pressed against my chest, my hands helping her steady the crossbow. "Relax Beth."_

_She took a deep breath, her eyes remaining fixed on her prey. "Okay..."_

_"Now shoot when you're ready. When you feel confident that you'll make contact. Don't second guess yourself, if you feel it, you go for it. Remember that... Now shoot."_

_I watched her intently, listening to her every breath, as she suddenly pulled the trigger and shot the rabbit dead. She released the cross bow and spun around, her whole face lighting up with pure joy as if she had just won the lottery. _

_"I Did it!" She laughed, throwing herself into my arms. Her over joyed reaction taking me by surprise. I'd never seen anyone be so damn happy over killing a little rabbit._

_She released me and quickly ran up to the tree to retrieve it. I glanced down at my crossbow, a bit stunned that she had hit the damn thing her first try. Even with a little help, most people miss by a fucking mile. Maybe I could teach her everything I knew._

_"Daryl!" Beth's terrified scream ripped me from my thoughts. My head snapping up to see a walker emerge from the trees, and grab her from behind. I drew my bow and ran to her, seeing her fight against his grip. I couldn't get a clear shot from the position he had her in, and I sure as hell wasn't taking a chance on missing and hurting Beth in the process. I dropped my bow and retrieved my knife, stabbing him through the head in one swift movement. The walker falling behind Beth and releasing her body._

_I pulled her to me, not even thinking twice about. My eyes roaming over every damn inch of her. "__Are you okay?"_

_"Yea..." She nodded frantically to me. "I didn't see him... At least he didn't get the rabbit." She offered, holding him up in an attempt to lighten the mood._

_I shook my head, breathing out a sigh of relief and grabbing my crossbow, as we headed back. "Come on, I'll teach you more tomorrow. Getting cold and we should get back before dusk."_

_We were about half way there, when I felt Beth's hand take mine, lacing our fingers together. Her hand seeming to fit in mine perfectly._

_"Means a lot you trust me with your crossbow. You don't strike me as one who trusts very often?"_

_"I don't. You're different."_

_"Why... cause you think I'm too small to ever really do any damage to it?" She chuckled._

_"No, because I know you." I replied, a seriousness in my tone. "You're not some weak feeble woman. "You're stronger than most I know."_

_"What makes you say that."_

_I shrugged in reply, choosing to keep my mouth shut and some of my dignity._

_"No... Tell me... don't get all reserved on me now, Dixon."_

_We breeched the border of the forest in the back yard, glancing around to see the house still in tact the way we left it._

_"I've watched you, too... Back at the prison... I know you better then you think." I replied to her._

_We approached the front door and stopped, her hand leaving mine, and her eyes nervously darting around as we went in. The house was silent, and cold._

_I started a fire almost immediately and got busy skinning the rabbit she'd killed. Beth watched in fascination as I did so. Only flinching every once in a while._

_"You did good Today, Beth. Real good."_

_Her face lit up in response. "Thanks. I just wanna be important you know... valuable..."_

_Her words brought me up short, a reply on the tip of my tongue that I could not seem to tell her. I soon finished the rabbit, and left it for Beth to cook on the stove while I took a shower. _

_"Looks like more rabbit stew." She laughed._

_"Hey that's gourmet where I come from." I replied, before heading to the bathroom to take a shower. Scrubbing the residue of the day off my skin._

_I could smell the stew all the way downstairs. It sure as hell smelled good to me. Beth was busy in the kitchen still when I returned. I watched her as she worked, finding myself drawn to her, like a magnetic pull you'd be foolish to fight._

_ I knew... I had fought it. Why though was far beyond me. Who says you cant have a little happiness in this hell? Didn't Beth deserve that?_

_I knew I was getting way ahead of myself. Whose to say I could make her happy?_

_"Penny for your thoughts?" She offered, turning to me._

_I took a few strides in her direction, warring with myself before opening my mouth and saying some of what was on my mind._

_"You're valuable Beth. Just the way you are. You're... important to me."_

_She stopped what she was doing and turned back toward me, as I closed the distance between us. "Really important to me..."_

_I stared back into those deep blue eyes of hers, knowing I was losing this battle and slowly not giving a shit anymore that I was. In this world, you had today. Tomorrow was never a guarantee. So whose to say what's right and wrong?_


	5. Chapter 5

_**CHAPTER 5**_

_**BETH'S POV**_

_My heart was pounding and my eyes fixed on his. Listening to his words and feeling them weave their way securely around my mind.  
><em>

_"You're important to me... Really important to me..."_

_I opened my mouth, only to shut it again, feeling at a loss of words. Daryl sensed the hesitation and cleared his throat, effectively breaking the awkward silence that loomed over us now. He offered me a crooked smile before turning on his heel._

_"I'll be back."_

_I lurched forward, reaching for his arm as he swiftly picked up his crossbow and slung it over his shoulder with ease._

_"Where are you going? It's dark..." I asked, nervousness etched in my tone._

_"Gotta fix a few of the boards on the windows. A few are loose. I'll be back in a bit."_

_"But it's... I mean you could get..." I stopped short, hesitantly dropping my arm and seeing his gaze meet mine._

_"I'll be fine. No big deal." _

_I watched him closely as he left and felt my heart lurch into my throat at the mere thought of something happening to him. In the crazy world we lived in now, that's how it worked. _

_You would be foolish enough to get comfortable and feel some sense of normalcy again, only to have it harshly ripped away from you, stripping any and all previous foundation you had laid. Like a huge wave rushing up in high tide and sweeping away the sand castle you had spent all day making, laving no traces of anything... just nothing._

_ After seeing my own father killed before my very eyes, I had learned not to be so quick to get comfortable. I learned that in doing so, I had lost a small part of who I was before. It had been stripped away from me when the governor had taken my fathers life._

_I felt that I was no longer the fatal optimist. I wasn't able to bring out that part of myself anymore the way I used to and if I was being honest, I didn't know if it would ever resurface. My mind was full of regret on most days. I wished that I could have done more to save my father... to save everyone. __I missed Judith and would have given anything to hear her small giggles of delight over the simplest of things again. It had been such a familiar sound at the prison and one I had taken foolishly for granted. I wished now that I would have savored it a bit more._

_One would think that after so much bad there could only be good in the future, unfortunately I was all too aware of how untrue this was for us now._

_I paced back and forth nervously in the living room by the lit fire, drawing warmth from it and anxiously waiting for Daryl to return. I was almost certain I had nearly worn a hole through the floor when I heard the front door swing suddenly open and then slam shut again, followed by the sound of several dead bolts being locked. I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard his footsteps in the hall, approaching the living room with a tired expression on his face._

_"I'll take first watch." I offered, seeing how very exhausted he was._

_He leaned up against the wall while shaking his head. "Nah... I'll be fine."_

_His persistent stubbornness never ceasing to amaze me. "Why do you insist on fighting me with this? Is it so terrible to let someone take care of you for a while instead of you always taking care of others?"_

_His head lifted as he shrugged, offering no real explanation. Him being the man of few words that he was, I had come to expect this._

_"Well is it?" I asked, trying to get some kind of response from him._

_"Not your job." He simply sighed, glancing over to the fire._

_I studied his face, seeing the glow from the fire now __highlighting his handsome features._

_"Who says it's not my job? Because the way I see it is we're in this together and... I rely on you... It's only fair that you be able to count on me."_

_I watched as his jaw grew tight. His eyes still glued to the fireplace and his silence lingering on. I realized the look of determination on his face and knew that I had probably lost this battle with him._

_The concrete walls he had built up around his heart and soul remained firmly in place. I couldn't help but ponder what kind of hurt he had faced as a child. My mind wandering to the dark side of what he had endured then and seeing the lasting remnants of it with him still today. I shuddered as I thought of a young Daryl. A boy with big blue eyes with a sense of child like adventure, all huddled up in some corner somewhere afraid of what he would face when his father returned home from another drunken night. _

_I had heard the many whispers of hushed gossip behind the walls of the prison before. I was somewhat aware of the tortured life he lived as a child. I tried to pay no attention to the gossip, but it was hard to miss the talking among some of the members. It was hard for me to imagine what kind of man would beat his own children in that way. What kind of evil would posses someone to inflict such pain on their own like that? _

_Thinking of it made me angry, an emotion I rarely shared. But as I looked at Daryl and thought of the many ways he had suffered as a child, I was truly angry at the heartless man responsible for making him feel unworthy of someone's genuine concern or affection. _

_I thought back to when Daryl had made a formula run for baby Judith and how easy it seemed for him to feed her when he returned with it. I couldn't help but marvel at the size of his heart, despite his fathers cruelty, that part of Daryl had thankfully remained. _

_I got to my feet and approached him. " I get it..."_

_"Get what..." He asked, removing his gaze from the fire._

_"That you don't think I can handle myself..." I said with a sigh, glancing down to the floor." But you're wrong... I can... Let me prove it. You rest tonight and I'll keep watch. We're a team now, Daryl... We're supposed to count on each other..."_

_I lifted my head to see him looking at me with an unreadable expression on his face. I tried to place it as I stared back into his eyes but found myself struggling. It was a resigned look I had not seen him wear before tonight. _

_The fire cracked loudly around us as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "You sure?"_

_"Yes. I'll be fine."_

_He took the gun out of his belt and handed it to me. A weary expression on his face as he left the living room._

_I smiled as I glanced down at the weapon he had placed there. It symbolized trust between us for me and for the first time I felt like someone understood me._


End file.
